Three Days of Close Racing as CDC Celebrates 30th Edition in Sint Maarten & a 7th Team Antigua Win
The 30th Caribbean Dinghy Championship (CDC) took place this past weekend on the beautiful waters of Simpson Bay and the conditions couldn’t have been better for three days of exciting racing. Hosted by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) and sanctioned by the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA), the event brought together racers from around the Caribbean to compete at the highest level, while also offering great camaraderie between the sailors, their families, and organizations.
This year’s championship featured racing on over 50 boats in the Optimist, RS Quest, RS Zest, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, and Sun Fast 20 classes, offering both youth and adults a chance to compete together. Nearly 70 sailors representing 9 nations were in attendance from Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, British Virgin Islands, and Sint Maarten.
After registration, practice, and the opening ceremony on Thursday, the racing action kicked off on Friday in a shifty southeasterly breeze that ranged from 7 to 14 knots. The race committee set a trapezoidal course that brought the fleets from the western edge of Simpson Bay right up near Simpson Bay beach, down to a leeward mark near the airport before a final beat back to the finish, making each leg a different challenge for the racers. For many of the teams, who were sailing in these waters for the first time, it was a day to learn the boats and conditions.
Saturday began in a similar breeze to the day before and, after a few growing pains, you could tell the sailors were starting to settle into the boats and racing area. The competition was quite lively and fun to watch, with tight starts, tense crossing situations, and close finishes. By the end of the afternoon, there were some exhausted sailors across the course.
Sunday was the day to decide the final outcome and the breeze was switched on—coming out of the southeast at 15 to 20 knots with big seas to match. Admirably, the sailors took this in stride and the competition was fierce, with very close racing, especially across the ILCA classes. By the time the final whistle blew, the racers had given it their all on what ended up being a tough but great day on the water.
Source: Antigua News Room Antigua Wins Seventh Consecutive Caribbean Dinghy Championship Title in Sint Maarten.